Opposition furious over CAG report: Mukul Sangma accuses State Government of irregularities in funds utilisation
In response to the report, Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma criticized the handling of the state's finances, saying that a delay of three years in funds is equal to depriving the state of receiving future funds of the same amount.
SHILLONG:
The latest reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India has caused a stir among detractors of the Conrad Sangma-led coalition on account of the revelation that the State Government surrendered ₹5242.30 crores out of ₹6003.39 crores of total savings in 2020, and the following denial of use of savings for other developmental purposes.
In response to the report, Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma criticized the handling of the state's finances, saying that a delay of three years in funds is equal to depriving the state of receiving future funds of the same amount.
Sangma accused the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance of not properly prioritising projects that can bring prosperity to the state, thus compromising the "momentum" needed for smooth development. He went on to complain that projects that were "low-hanging fruit" were neglected by the government, an issue that had already been brought up in the recently concluded Autumn Session of the Assembly. "We were the authors" of those initiatives, he had said, when questioning why the present government did not take them forward.
The former chief minister especially mentioned the suspended status of the medical college funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Special Accelerated Road Development in North Eastern Areas programme supported by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and other road networks that were to be developed as part of the Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project funded by the World Bank.
Sangma also questioned the status of National Highway 127 (B), which is expected to connect Dhubri in Assam to Phulbari in Garo Hills and run across the Brahmaputra river.
He accused the ruling dispensation of alleged irregularities in funds by claiming that the government could not submit utilisation certificates against funds received from ministries because the funds were not used appropriately, leading to "delay" and "deprivation".
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